‘Keep Seattle Livable For All’ Gives Seattleites A Voice On ‘Soda’ TaxFremocentrist | February 23, 2018
On January 1st, 2018, a tax went into effect, in the City of Seattle, that few people knew about but will affect nearly everyone. The ‘Sweetened Beverage Tax’ passed the Seattle City Council in the summer of 2017, with little notice or public discussion.

Seattleites making a run to the border for … Coke?Seattle Times | January 31, 2018
Ahmed Mohamed’s shop in the farthest reaches of West Seattle is so small you can easily miss it. But he’s nevertheless Ground Zero for Seattle’s latest economic experiment.

Small Businesses Aren’t Too Sweet on New Beverage TaxSeattle Weekly | January 26, 2018
A Pizza Mart is a labor of love for Jagajit Singh Samra and his wife. In the 20 years that they’ve owned and operated the West Seattle small business, they’ve rarely taken time off, regularly work 12 hour days, and still barely make ends meet.

Pizza shop owner says Seattle's soda tax is costing him businessKIRO 7 | January 26, 2018
It hasn't been a full month since Seattle implemented its soda and sugary beverages tax, and one Seattle business owner has said that the tax is costing him his business. Businesses and consumers saw sticker shock immediately when the tax went into effect in early January.

Seattle soda tax costing businesses money, owners sayKING 5 | January 26, 2018
Seattle business owners expressed their concerns Friday about the city's recently-implemented tax on sugary drinks. "With the tax four weeks old, our fears are being realized. We call on the city council to address the needs of the community and workers and address this tax," said Peter Lam of Teamsters Local 174.

Soda tax: A bad way to try changing habitsThe News Tribune | January 23, 2018
Is it required that being elected to a public office dictates you forgo common sense? I’ve read that several legislators in Olympia now want to emulate Seattle with a statewide 2-cent per ounce tax on soda pop. This is supposedly to fight obesity.

EDITORIAL: More Seattle business owners fight back against the regulatory stateLas Vegas Review Journal | January 18, 2018
Last week, we noted how Costco stores in Seattle refused to play along when local Nanny Staters imposed a massive new tax on soda. The retailer explicitly began itemizing the new levy on its price tags, ensuring that consumers were fully informed regarding the soaring cost of their favorite sugary beverages.

Seattle Residents Will Outsmart Its Soda TaxEconomics 21 | January 17, 2018
Seattle recently became the latest major city to enact a sweetened beverage tax. In response to the new levy, some retailers have calculated how much of the price is due to the tax, and customers are reeling from sticker shock.

Seattle Costco tells Gatorade drinkers how to avoid city's soda taxFox News | January 15, 2018
"That new soda tax in Seattle is working out about as well as Chicago's," proclaims a headline at Hot Air. It's not a compliment. The tax, which went into effect Jan. 1, slaps an additional 1.75 cents on each fluid ounce of sugar-sweetened drinks, a group that includes soda, sports drinks and kombucha.

Soda Tax Sticker Shock Grips SeattlePJ Media | January 15, 2018
On January 1, Seattle had several new progressive laws go into effect. Along with mandatory paid sick leave, mandates for employers to post work schedules 14 days in advance, and severe restrictions on short-term rental platforms (Airbnb, VRBO, etc.), Seattle imposed a massive new soda tax — 1.75 cents per OUNCE on sugary drinks.

Seattle's soda tax experiment is doomed to failureWashington Examiner | January 10, 2018
Seattle's press is abuzz with stories of sticker shock after residents headed to the grocery stores Jan. 1 and found the price of soda had skyrocketed thanks to the city's tax on sweetened beverages.

Seattle Residents Jolted By New Sugar TaxSeattle Patch | January 7, 2018
Seattle shoppers took it to social media last week to express their shock over the new soda tax. The tax, which went into effect in the new year, adds 1.75 cents per ounce to the price of any drink with added sugar, with some exceptions.

Seattle's new soda tax prices making some shoppers' eyes 'pop'KOMO | January 5, 2018
The City of Seattle's new soda tax is causing sticker shock for some shoppers. Many stores have signs posted showing you exactly how much you now have to pay. A regular can of soda is now an extra 21 cents; a 20 ounce bottle costs an extra 35 cents. If you're buying a whole case, it's going to cost you an extra $7 or so.

Sticker shock over Seattle's new sugary drink taxKIRO7 | January 5, 2019
People are feeling sticker shock over Seattle’s sugary drink tax. You might’ve seen a picture circulating on social media that shows a more than $10 tax on a $15.99 case of Gatorade at Costco. On Friday, shoppers were taking their own pictures, stunned by the new prices.

Small businesses navigate Seattle's sugary drink taxKING 5 Seattle | January 2, 2018
This new year means the first day of a new tax for those who love soda and sugary drinks in Seattle. Distributors will pay 1.75 cents extra per ounce on soda and sugary drinks, but there's no doubt customers will end up paying the price.

New year, new tax: Seattle starts taxing sweetened drinksKOMO Seattle | January 1, 2018
Overnight, soda and sugary drinks just got a little pricier across Seattle. Distributors will now be taxed 1.75/fluid ounce on all sugary drinks sold across the city. Consumers will feel the burden at convenience stores, gas stations and restaurants.

Coalition sour over sweetened beverage taxCapitol Hill Times | December 20, 2017
Backed by the American Beverage Association, the Keep Seattle Livable for All coalition is leading an opposition campaign for a tax on sweetened beverages that will take effect in the city on Jan. 1.

Why doesn’t Seattle manage the money it already has?Crosscut | June 15, 2017
Without getting into a debate about whether diet sodas, syrups in coffee drinks and hipster sodas like Jones should be exempted, one has to marvel at the constant, eager push by the Seattle City Council to pass new taxes and regulations.

Seattle Passes Regressive Soda TaxReason | June 6, 2017
Seattle's city council passed a new soda tax yesterday over the loud opposition of local business owners, teamsters, and other citizens. At 1.75 cents per ounce—that $2.52 per 12-pack—the new rate will be eight times higher than the levy on beer.

The Truth About Seattle's Proposed Soda Tax and its IlkReason | June 3, 2017
Seattle lawmakers are expected to vote early next week on a citywide soda tax that would add more than $2.50 to the cost of a twelve-pack of soda. The tax would undoubtedly drive consumers—at least those Seattle residents with cars and Costco memberships, including me—to buy more groceries in the city's suburbs.

Will Seattle’s Soda Tax End up Taxing Coffee?Tax Foundation | June 2, 2017
Soda taxes are highly regressive and volatile sources of revenue, but policymakers should also be wary of how complex these proposals are to implement, as Seattle is finding out firsthand.

Diet drinks excluded as Seattle soda-tax moves toward final City Council voteSeattle Times | May 31, 2017
Seattle City Council members moved a proposed soda tax Wednesday toward a final vote — and amended it to exclude diet drinks. Mayor Ed Murray sent legislation to the council in April calling for a tax of 1.75 cents per ounce on distributors of sweetened beverages, including sugary and diet soft drinks, among others.

Seattle considers tax on Sweetened BeveragesKGMI Newstalk Seattle | May 30, 2017
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray’s proposal to tax sweetened beverages won’t go to a vote of the city council this week as planned. It’s still stuck in committee, as council members consider whether to join six other American cities in taxing sugar-filled drinks.

Spokane City Council shoots down speculation on ‘soda tax’ to pay for policeThe Spokesman-Review | May 23, 2015
The Spokane City Council is not imposing, or asking voters to impose, a tax on sugary drinks. That’s the message to owners of restaurants and other small businesses contained in a letter the full panel agreed to Monday, which several lawmakers said should put to rest the false impression they were proposing the tax to pay for police.

The Hypocrisy of Taxing Sugar in SugartownSeattle Mag | May 22, 2017
Second, it’s grossly unfair. Some say it’s racist. Some say it targets low-income communities. Some say it could damage mom and pop restaurants and stores, as well as local craft pop manufacturers

Flat Soda in SeattleInside Sources | May 18, 2017
Never happy leaving people alone, the busybullies are at it again, using the force of government to change people’s behavior. You know, for their own good.

Seattle proposes to tax soda 8 times higher than beerWashington Policy Center | May 11, 2017
An income tax isn't the only controversy on Seattle's current agenda. Outgoing Seattle Mayor Murray has also proposed a 1.75 cents per ounce soda tax. While that may not sound like a lot it adds up in a hurry.

Seattle considers soda taxReal Change News | May 10th, 2017
The tax would hit distributors that work in the city, a fact that raised vocal opposition from the Teamsters Union, which transports such beverages into Seattle.

Proposed beverage tax harmful to small businesses, minority communitiesNW Asian Weekly | May 5, 2017
For over two decades, the Korean American Grocers’ Association (KAGRO) and the countless local grocers that it supports have been a part of the Seattle community. As small businesses already struggling with an excessive amount of taxes, fees, and regulations, we are deeply concerned about Mayor Ed Murray’s proposed tax on beverages, and the harmful consequences it will undoubtedly have on Seattle’s working class.

Seattle soda tax: I’ll shop elsewhereThe Seattle Times | April 7, 2017
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray wants a soda tax. If I have to pay a soda tax, and if I am planning to buy a quantity of soda, I will go to Renton or Shoreline or Bellevue, wherever doesn’t have a tax.

What happened when Congress decided to tax all sodaThe Washington Post | April 6, 2017
Contrary to the claims of advocates, America's first soda tax was not a success. Soda taxes are much in the news of late, as lawmakers from Washington state to West Virginia debate the newly popular policy tool as a means of ramping up revenue and cutting soda consumption.

Soda Taxes Raise New Questions in Philly, SeattleThe Food Institute Blog | February 23, 2017
When it comes to regulatory issues in the food industry (and outside it, for that matter), it is almost impossible to please everyone. It becomes particularly complicated when the health and well-being of consumers is involved, such as in GMO labeling, removal of artificial flavors and colors, etc. That is what makes implementing sugary drink taxes and warnings so difficult.

Starbucks may have a loophole in Seattle mayor's sugary drink tax proposal
Puget Sound Business Journal | February 22, 2017
During his State of the City address, Mayor Ed Murray said he will be proposing to the City Council a tax on sugar-sweetened drinks. Murray expects the new tax, if approved, to raise $16 million per year to fund educational and health programs for students of color.

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